By whom has Michael Morales been spared the second time in twenty-four hours? [b

It is the second time in twenty-four hours that the condemned man, Michael Morales, has been spared, not by the actions of the courts or by the governor, but by doctors. Morales, convicted of killing a seventeen-year-old girl twenty-five years ago, had been due to be executed by lethal injection on Monday night.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in the Middle East for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. She is expected to urge them to restart peace talks. Ms. Merkel met on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. She told him that there is a chance right now to move the peace process forward. She met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Ms. Merkel also welcomed the Arab League’s decision to relaunch a land-for-peace proposal from 2002. The German leader is also expected to visit Lebanon.